Clark International Airport Corp. vice president for operations Reynaldo Catacutan shows photos of cables reportedly pulled out from underground at the runway and taxiway of the Diosdado Macapagal International Airport at Clark freeport, Pampanga. Photo by Ding cervantes
CLARK FREEPORT – Clark International Airport Corp. (CIAC) president Victor Jose Luciano debunked yesterday claims that back up high power cables have been stolen at the runway and taxiway of the Diosdado Macapagal International Airport (DMIA) here, but records and other documents seemed to belie him.
CIAC vice president for operations Reynaldo Catacutan said he himself “caught in the act” four persons who possessed allegedly Luciano’s handwritten letter allowing them access to the area where he caught them digging up underground cables.
He said most of the stolen underground cables were located in the “high security” runway and taxiway areas and that these cables were supposed to provide back up in case the primary cables lighting the runway and taxiway are damaged.
“Luciano should be held administratively and criminally liable for qualified theft,” Catacutan said in an interview.
He said that he had already sent a text message to Pres. Aquino informing him of the case after he also submitted to the CIAC board last Friday several reports submitted by the CIAC security and engineering departments on the case.
Catacutan furnished the media copies of two letters, allegedly handwritten by Luciano, authorizing the four personnel of ACP Manpower, owned by one Josie Gomez, to enter certain areas within the complex.
The suspects were named by the CIAC security department as Cesar Mayo, Jose Canete III, Nilo Padua and Rolly Padua.
It will be recalled that in 2009, the same manpower firm was also authorized by Luciano to demolish old buildings within the complex for scraps purportedly for the benefit of Aeta tribal folk.
A case against Luciano on this controversy has remained pending before the Office of the Ombudsman.
One undated letter, handwritten allegedly by Luciano, was addressed to “security” allowing the four suspects one-week access to “Blocker 4” area of the airport to do “ground maintenance.”
Another handwritten letter, reportedly issued last September, was addressed to a certain Chon Tee, also asking him to allow the same four persons to “assist in clearing operations.”
Catacutan said Tee was a Taiwanese farmer cultivating watermelons in a lot within the aviation complex.
He said that the first letter was apparently written last July, as the four were allowed into the runway and taxiway in August, while the last letter was written only in early September.
“As the security department is under me, I checked reports about their presence in the farm area last September and I personally caught the four in the act of digging up cables. They four then showed me Luciano’s authorization letter and claimed they had been told to show such letter to anyone who could question their operation there,” Catacutan said.
In a report last Sept. 9, Ruel Angeles, chief of the CIAC engineering, said the cables were pulled out from a manhole and that some of the cables were later found at the DMIA’s guard post apparently for pick up.
The report said two kinds of cables were missing and that one kind was about 275 meters long and the other 900 meters. The cables were valued at P2.6 million.
In his report to CIAC executive vice president Bienvenido Manga, Catacutan noted that the cables were stolen from DMIA runway sections 02R and 20L and from taxiway F5.
Catacutan debunked Luciano’s claim that the cables were stolen over time since they were installed way back in 1995. “There is a report in 2008 indicating that the underground cables were intact at that time,” he added.
Catacutan admitted having had a rift with Luciano since he assumed post at CIAC vice president for operations about three months ago.
“He wanted me to be vice president for business development because he thought my position was too complicated for me. But the President wanted me here so I must do my job,” he said.
